A Taiwanese person is playing on Polymarket's nine-in-one election betting market! A 22-year-old male college student was arrested, claiming "just curious."

Although the 2026 nine-in-one elections have not yet taken place, Polymarket has already seen betting markets appear. The Hsinchu District Prosecutors Office and police arrested a university student surnamed He who placed bets. The case is being investigated for gambling crimes and violations of the Election and Recall Law.

The 2026 nine-in-one local elections will be held on November 28. The nominees put forward by various political parties have not been fully finalized; however, decentralized prediction platform Polymarket has already opened up betting markets and allowed people to place bets. After the Hsinchu District Prosecutors Office learned of this, it ordered the Banqiao Branch to set up a special task force to dig deeper into the matter. On April 15, following the lead, they arrested a suspect surnamed He in Taipei City; the investigation has since been expanded.

After the Yunlin District Prosecutors Office earlier this month discovered two bettors on Polymarket’s nine-in-one election betting markets, the Hsinchu District Prosecutors Office also received election intelligence reports from the Banqiao Branch of the New Taipei City Police Department. It found that members of the public had placed bets on Polymarket’s betting market “2026 Taiwanese Local Elections: Party Winner.”

Image source: Polymarket

According to a report by the Liberty Times, after police traced the cryptocurrency flow and secured specific evidence, they went directly to Mr. He’s residence on Section 5 of Roosevelt Road in Taipei City yesterday (15) and detained him for questioning on the spot. The 22-year-old university student surnamed He said he placed the bets purely out of curiosity, predicting election results via Polymarket. After questioning, he was referred for prosecution on charges of gambling and violations of the Public Officials Election and Recall Law, among other alleged offenses.

The Hsinchu District Prosecutors Office stated that, pursuant to Article 103-1 of the Public Officials Election and Recall Law, “any gambling property targeted at election or recall results using telecommunications equipment, electronic communications, the internet, or other similar methods” is illegal. It carries a penalty of imprisonment for up to 6 months, detention, or a fine of up to NT$100,000.

By nature, blockchain is a public ledger; all transaction data are publicly visible. It is not impossible for police to trace illegal actors to their real identities. In this regard, Blockchain readers are reminded not to participate in election betting markets in any form, so as to avoid breaking the law.

• This article is reprinted with authorization from: 《BlockTalk》
• Original title: “Betting on Polymarket ‘Nine-in-One Elections’ Betting Markets! Police Arrest 22-Year-Old College Student”
• Original author: Blockchain Sister MEL